Attractions

Clackamas County is the epicenter of the horse culture in the United States, and a visit to Dream Ridge Stables will show you why so many people love horses.

Location:
From Lincoln City head north on Hwy. 101 to Hwy. 18. Travel east on Hwy. 18 to milepost 3.96. Exit Hwy. 18 and travel south on Bear Creek Road 0.9 mile. The bridge is located on the left.

Background:
The Drift Creek Bridge has a long history. Originally built south of Lincoln City only 1.5 miles from the coast, the bridge was considered the oldest remaining covered bridge in Oregon.

Length: 106 miles / 169.6 km
Time to Allow: 5-7 hours
Fees: A few museums charge fees. So do some campgrounds.

Driving Directions
From Bend, take State Highway 372 (Century Drive) east for 4.5 miles to the boundary of the Deschutes National Forest where the Byway begins. The Byway comes to an end as Forest Route 46 meets State Highway 58.

Length: 106 miles / 169.6 km
Time to Allow: 5-7 hours
Fees: A few museums charge fees. So do some campgrounds.

Driving Directions
From Bend, take State Highway 372 (Century Drive) east for 4.5 miles to the boundary of the Deschutes National Forest where the Byway begins. The Byway comes to an end as Forest Route 46 meets State Highway 58.

Elkins Gem store, which has been there since 1958, offers everything from finished bookends made of petrified wood, to earrings, to free advice and maps of the area.

When you enter the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum you drive down a runway, and that’s not where your flight experience ends.

From the many airplanes parked in front of the three buildings, to the huge 747 you see as you travel down Highway 18 to the museum, if you even have a fleeting interest in aircraft or space, Evergreen will keep you busy for at least half a day.

Kid or not, driving up to the Evergreen Wings and Waves Waterpark is cool.

Don’t believe me? Where else can you drive up to a building and see a 747 sitting on top of a building? That’s what I thought.

Ewing Young, fur trapper and trader in the Southwest and Mexico, turned settler in the Chehalem Valley in 1834. He was the first American settler in the Oregon Country who was independent of aid from the Hudson's Bay Company. His death on February 15, 1841, left considerable property and no heirs. This problem created the necessity to form a civil government, which directly led two years later to the Champoeg Meeting and the beginning of the organization of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843, the first government by Americans on the Pacific Coast.

Kay Myers doesn’t mind when it’s windy and stormy on the Oregon coast. 

In fact, she rather likes it. When the winds come out of the southwest, for either a storm or extended periods of time, Myers finds that her lapidary business starts booming with folks needing rock polishers and grit.

As the manager of FACETS Gem & Mineral Gallery, anytime sand is blown away and the gravel beds exposed, treasures await on the beaches. 

Location:
From I-5 take Highway 58 east to Parkway Road. Follow Parkway Road north to the community of Jasper. Turn southeast on Jasper-Lowell Road for about 3 miles. Turn left (east) on Little Falls Creek Road and travel 1/4 mile to Place Road.

Background:
The Pengra Bridge contains two of the longest timbers ever cut for a bridge in Oregon. The timbers for the lower chords, 16" x 18" x 126 feet, were cut by the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company east of Springfield.

Location:
From Interstate 5 exit Highway 58 and travel east to the town of Lowell. Turn left at the Lowell Covered Bridge and continue north through Lowell on County Road 6220 (Lowell-Unity Road) for two miles to Unity.

Background:
In 1890, the first bridge across Fall Creek was constructed by Nels Roney. That 129-foot Howe structure cost Lane County $2,925.

The Bose Family farm has a massive corn maze that stretches out over ten whole acres. Each year they have a different theme for their corn mazes and provide challenges to complete for rewards. For example, in 2014 the extra challenge was to find all of the punch stations hidden throughout the maze in order to enter for a chance to win half of a hog. These rewards in addition to the simple family atmosphere make it an excellent place to bring the family to for a good days worth of fun.

Bose Farms

Your journey through the Umpqua River Basin starts with 10 waterfalls with a variety of picnic areas and hikes. There's something here for all skills and abilities.

While many attractions around Oregon bill themselves as fun for the whole family, if you are going to have fun in your name, you better deliver, and the Family Fun Center and Bullwinkle’s Restaurant does.

Sitting next to Interstate 5, it’s hard to miss it, with its miniature golf castle (which my daughters point and call the ‘princess castle every time we pass’), batting cages, go-cart race track and a rock climbing wall you can see from the highway.

The main reason you visit a glass-blowing studio on the Oregon Coast is to purchase some of the truly unique and beautiful artwork on display.

At the Fernhill Art Studio, they also give you a show.

Location:
From Interstate 5, take the Corvallis exit (228) west 38 miles through Philomath on US 20. Follow Highway 34 southwest through Alsea and continue 20 miles west to the Five Rivers-Fisher Road (Forest Service Road 141). Turn south at the fork at Siletz Road. Continue left past Buck Creek Road about one mile to the bridge. Alternately from Yachats, travel east on Forest Service Road 1560 about 20 miles. This route is not recommended because the road is extremely rough and steep. Note: Forest Service Road 141 connects to the Deadwood Bridge in Lane County.

There are some state parks where you stop, get out of the car, maybe use the public restroom, walk around a bit to stretch your legs and the leave within 20 minutes. Maybe it has an interpretive plaque or trail, maybe one of the incredible stunning views that are scattered throughout the state, but overall it’s a pretty short experience.

The original start of this lilac was brought from Maine to Oregon in 1843 by Mary Charlotte Foster, wife of Philip Foster, partner with Sam Barlow on the Barlow Road. The Fosters sailed around Cape Horn and Mary Charlotte planted the lilac immediately upon her arrival in Oregon City. She moved it five times, replanting it at each of her homes. It was planted in its current location in 1883. It now stands at the Philip Foster Farm, 29912 S.E. Highway 211, Eagle Creek, Oregon.

The original start of this lilac was brought from Maine to Oregon in 1843 by Mary Charlotte Foster, wife of Philip Foster, partner with Sam Barlow on the Barlow Road. The Fosters sailed around Cape Horn and Mary Charlotte planted the lilac immediately upon her arrival in Oregon City. She moved it five times, replanting it at each of her homes. It was planted in its current location in 1883. It now stands at the Philip Foster Farm, 29912 S.E. Highway 211, Eagle Creek, Oregon.

Water everywhere, for everyone: public fountains in downtown Portland

"We're a water city, surrounded by rivers. It's nice to be able to see it everywhere," says Margaret Smith, a lifelong resident of the area, while she watches granddaughters Dionika and Nikayla Newell splashing in one of the many fountains maintained by the Portland Water Bureau. On summer days, three generations of her family, including daughter Nicole, enjoy the cooling waters, and they are far from alone.